Two Cases
by ManateeMama
Summary: Brenda has two cases to juggle. This story begins where "The Meeting" ends. After you read it, please leave your review. Thank you.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Brenda is now at work in the DA's office but there's some unfinished business from her tenure in Major Crimes.**

DDA Baldwin knocked on her supervisor's door. "Margie, do you have a minute?"

"Sure. Come on in," Margie Donovan invited her in.

"I've got a problem with this Toomey murder case," Claire Baldwin began."

"Hollywood Division caught the guy. What problem?" Margie Donovan asked.

"That's true. They did. I'm having a problem with the stalking aspect of the case and I'm afraid if we don't prove that Toomey was stalking Lara that we could lose the whole case."

"What's the problem?"

"Well, Lara has left California. Her housekeeper says she's in New York. I've called her cell repeatedly but she doesn't return any of my calls. We need her testimony."

"In that case, you need to refer your case to Chief Johnson."

Claire wrinkled her nose. "I'd rather not do that. She's so disagreeable and she loves to pull rank."

"I don't understand why you have a problem with her. She seems to be off to an excellent start with her investigators," Donovan replied, although she knew full well about DDA Baldwin's clashes with Brenda at the LAPD. "This situation is exactly why we have a Bureau of Investigations and Chief Johnson is doing a wonderful job. It's her unit's responsibility to find missing witnesses. Take the case to her."

"But, Margie..."

"I'm sorry, Claire, but you simply must take the case to Chief Johnson. Today."

"All right." Claire was resigned. "I've got to get to court so I'll take it up to her after lunch," she said as she rose.

"Good."

At the same time, Brenda was in her office talking with David Gabriel about a meeting she wanted him to attend with Commander Taylor and Detective Ross on a gang shoot-out case when her cell phone rang. It was Wilson Henegar's office so she dismissed Sgt. Gabriel and answered her phone. She had approached him about representing her if she decided to file suit over the Johnson Rule and she was anxious to hear if he would take her case.

"Brenda Leigh Johnson speakin."

"Ms. Johnson this is Mrs. Donley, Mr. Henegar's secretary. Mr. Henegar asked me to call you to set up an appointment for you to come in and meet with him. It's a follow-up to your previous meeting."

As she listened to Mrs. Donley, Brenda brought up her calendar on her computer. "All right. I've just started a new job so my schedule isn't as flexible as it once was. But I am anxious to hear Mr. Henegar's conclusions." And they set a date and time. "Oh, one more thing. May I bring my husband?"

Just as she asked, Andrea Hobbs knocked on her open door.

"Yes, Mr. Henegar said that if you asked, that would be fine."

"Thank you," and Brenda ended the call and invited Andrea to come in and have a seat. Brenda had always liked Andrea. When she was at Major Crimes she had been impressed, not only by her talent as a skilled prosecutor, but that she was one DDA who cared as much for the victims as winning in court.

"I just stopped by to see if you wanted to grab some lunch with me."

"Oh, Andrea, I can't. I've got to finish this case file before I meet with DDA Robinson this afternoon."

"Look, Brenda. Here's a tip for you: No one expects you to skip lunch every day. Besides, losing weight should not be high on your agenda. And cobwebs in your hair from doing nothing but reviewing case files will do nothing to enhance your image."

Brenda laughed at that comment so Andrea knew she was winning. "We won't take long. So, come on, Johnson. Get your nose out of that file." And with that Brenda realized she had lost so she grabbed her purse and followed Andrea to the elevator.

Over lunch Andrea told her that she thought Captain Raydor was off to a good start obtaining the plea deals that Chief Taylor valued so highly but that she was having a difficult time overcoming Major Crimes' dislike for her.

"I'm not surprised about that. She's got two strikes against her. Everyone hates Internal Affairs. And nobody in Major Crimes except Captain Raydor would like the new 'Let's Make A Deal' policy. And I don't blame them. I don't like it, either. It lets murderers serve lesser sentences than they deserve. Of course Taylor would like it. He always has been lazy when it comes to good police work." Brenda was getting angry just thinking about it.

"Look on the bright side," Andrea reasoned, "This program is going to lessen your work load."

"Humph. Not my work load. There are no cases from Major Crimes needin my department to beef up."

"There may not be any cases from your time with Major Crimes but there is a whole new set of people in control now and they don't have your talent."

"Well, I can't do anythin about it and it's time to get back to work," Brenda said wearily so they both went back to their respective offices.

As Brenda entered her office suite she saw DDA Baldwin waiting for her.

"Good afternoon, DDA Baldwin, is there somethin I can do for you?"

"Yes. I was conferencing with my supervisor this morning on a case and she suggested that your bureau might need to be involved."

"Come on in and we can discuss it," Brenda invited knowing full well that it would take more than a suggestion from Margie Donovan to get DDA Baldwin to seek her help.

As they took their seats, Brenda said, "Summarize your case. I'll read the details later."

"It's a murder case which started out with the perp stalking Lara," DDA Baldwin began.

Brenda recognized the name. Lara was a talented but badly spoiled young actress who wanted to be known only by her first name.

Claire continued, "Two years ago an obsessed fan named Jeff Toomey began stalking Lara at her Hollywood Hills home. He first approached the home and told the housekeeper that he was Lara's husband. She told him that Lara was not there and refused to let him in and so he left. But he returned a couple of hours later and left a strange note at the gate." She handed the note to Brenda. It was a rambling, hand-written note in crayon in which he quoted his own version of scripture stating that women who have sex with men who are not their husbands are harlots and must be killed. The word harlots was in large capital letters in red crayon. The note concluded with declarations of adoration and was signed "Jeffrey Toomey".

"He came back a month later and tried to scale the wall but was confronted by a security guard and he left again. But he was back an hour later and this time he did scale the wall. When the security guard again confronted him, they struggled. Toomey got the guard's gun and shot him. He died the next day without regaining consciousness."

"Since we're involved, I take it Toomey was caught," Brenda observed.

"Yes. He had triggered the alarm system so Hollywood Division arrested him before he even left the property. He pled Not Guilty and was ordered to get a mental health exam at his prelim. That exam concluded that he was capable of knowing right from wrong. We go to trial next month."

"It sounds like you've got an airtight case. What's the problem?"

"The problem is with the stalking part of the case. Lara has left the state. Her housekeeper says she's in New York and I can't get her to return my calls. I need her testimony. Without it, I'm afraid we could lose our case."

"So we need to find Lara and convince her to return to Los Angeles," Brenda concluded.

"Yes. I need her to testify that Toomey did not have permission to be on the property and that she was afraid of this man as well as about any past contact she may have had with him. Otherwise the defense can claim he had permission and that he acted in self-defense."

"All right. Leave the case file and I'll read it tonight."

"Thank you, Chief Johnson," DDA Baldwin said as she placed the file on Brenda's desk and then left her office.

When Fritz got home that evening he smiled when he saw his wife up to her lovely ear lobes in files. She was finally happy again because she had plenty of work to keep her busy. No more boredom and frustration. And the best part was that she was home every night, even if she did bring paperwork home with her. He loved just being able to look over at her pouring her heart and soul into her case files. So he set the Greek food down on the kitchen counter and took a seat next to her on the living room sofa. And giving her a kiss he asked, "Well, are you starting to figure things out?"

"Uh huh. At least I hope so. There's still an awful lot to learn." She looked up at his handsome face and gave him another kiss. "But I think it's time for a break. What did you bring for dinner?"

"I stopped at the Parthenon."

"Oooh, yummy. Did you remember the baklava?"

"I did. But the bad news is that they didn't get their delivery of grape leaves so no dolmades."

"Well, did you at least bring souvlaki."

"Actually, I didn't. They had a special on chicken avgolemono tonight so I brought that instead."

Oooh, you never get what I want," she pouted.

Fritz just rolled his eyes but said nothing as they busied themselves getting dinner on the table. While eating, Brenda remembered her conversation with Mrs. Donley. "Mr. Henegar's office called me this mornin. We set up an appointment for next Wednesday at 9:15. Any chance you can come with me?"

"Probably. I can't think of anything on my calendar that would prevent it. So, does this mean that he's going to take your case?"

"His secretary didn't say. But if he was gonna say no, he could do that over the phone or send me a letter."

"Have you thought any more about what you want to get from a lawsuit?"

"I want the same things I've always wanted. I want to clear my name in court and I want my name off the Johnson Rule."

"I know you said you weren't interested in money but I wish you could get enough to punish Pope and Goldman."

"I just want enough to pay Mr. Henegar," Brenda said and then she remembered something else. "Speakin of Pope, you know that I have to attend a monthly meetin with him. A lawsuit would make things even more interestin."

"More interesting than what?" Fritz asked.

"Well, the day I handed in my resignation I really told him off. We didn't exactly part as friends."

Fritz grinned and said, "Yeah, you told me about that. I'm just glad you finally figured him out."

"It took long enough but I finally did. Hopefully these meetins won't require us to work together again. Steve Corning is so great to work with. I'm really enjoyin not havin to worry about Pope playin one side against the other."

"And I no longer have to worry about him coming on to you," Fritz thought although he knew better than to say it out loud.

* * *

The next morning, Brenda went to DA Corning's office before going to her own. She told him about DDA Baldwin's case and concluded by saying, "I think I want to take care of this myself. My staff is pretty loaded up right now and this case has a tickin clock on it. I can get the NYPD to contact her and try to talk her into returnin to LA."

DA Corning agreed and Brenda went back to work. About a week later Linda buzzed her to let her know that Lt. Kowalski of the NYPD was on the phone.

"Yes, Lt. Kowalski. How are you today?"

"Fine, Chief Johnson, but I'm afraid I don't have good news for you."

"Oh? Didn't you find Lara?"

"We found her easily. The woman is one of those stars who complains loud and long about the paparazzi but makes sure she lets everyone know where she will be," he chuckled. "But she absolutely refuses to testify. She says she's terrified and I believe her. She turned white and started shaking when I told her you want her back in Los Angeles for court next month."

"I see. Well, thank you for tryin. We appreciate it."

"No problem, Chief Johnson. If I can do anything else for you just let me know."

"Thank you, Lt. Kowalski. I will. Goodbye."

Brenda next called DDA Baldwin and gave her Lt. Kowalski's information. "I want you to petition the court for an order directin' that Lara appear at the trial. And ask for a $15 million dollar bail just in case she decides to ignore the subpoena. That should catch her attention," Brenda said.

DDA Baldwin smiled and said, "I'll file this afternoon. Thank you, Chief Johnson."

"You're welcome. And please give me the subpoena so I can send it to Lt. Kowalski for service."

And she next punched another button on her phone. When Linda answered Brenda asked her to get Lara's agent on the phone. A few minutes later she was talking to Mort Heider, the star's agent.

"Mr. Heider, this is Brenda Leigh Johnson from the District Attorney's Office. Thank you for speakin with me."

"No problem. My clients are always happy to cooperate with the DA's Office."

"Well, that's good to hear because we need Lara to return to Los Angeles for the trial of the man who stalked her and killed her security guard."

There was a moment of silence at the other end and then Mr. Heider said, "Lara told me that she was contacted by the police but that she was too terrified to face Mr. Toomey in court."

"We don't want to have to arrest her publicly and drag her back here in cuffs. I'm sure that would create image problems for her. And we don't want to do that," Brenda threatened without mentioning the subpoena.

Heider caught her drift. "I see. Well, I know that she is returning to LA because she has to be on a movie set in ten days. But you're right. She would definitely not want to be arrested."

"Of course she wouldn't. Not bein able to appear at the start of the movie would create a hardship for her, not to mention a lot of negative publicity. I think if I can talk to her I can convince her to appear in court without disruptin either her schedule or the movie company's."

"I don't know about that but I will tell you that she's flying in Sunday night. But please don't mention that you got that information from me."

"Thank you, Mr. Heider. I promise to be as gentle as possible. And I also promise not to mention how I found out she's home."

"Thank you, Chief Johnson. I really appreciate that."

* * *

On Wednesday morning, Brenda and Fritz were shown into Wilson Henegar's office. He stood up from behind his desk and moved to greet Brenda and to introduce himself to Fritz.

After the initial pleasantries, he said, "Ms. Johnson, I have reviewed your case. And while I think you have a case, I'm not sure you're going to like everything I have to say."

"Let's deal with the bad news first then, shall we?" Brenda replied.

"All right," Mr. Henegar agreed, "I'll summarize. I don't think you have a winnable case against either Gavin Baker or Peter Goldman." When he saw Brenda's surprised expression he continued, "As an attorney representing legitimate litigants, Mr. Goldman is within his rights to sue you. And, while you might make a case that Gavin didn't represent you to the fullest of his ability, once you were dropped from the lawsuit he had no obligations to you."

"I'm disappointed to hear you say that I don't have a cause of action against Peter Goldman," Brenda said. "He caused so much trouble with his never endin supply of dirty tricks."

"It seems to me that the young law student he was blackmailing might have a cause of action against him should she wish to pursue it. And some of his plaintiffs may want to discuss his tactics with another attorney, as well. But I doubt any action you might file would be successful because all litigation carries with it emotional destructiveness. It's an unavoidable part of the civil justice procedure."

Brenda nodded. Even though she didn't like it she understood what he was saying.

"However, it's my opinion that you have an excellent case against the LAPD and the City. And if you wish to proceed I would be pleased to represent you."

"Can I get my name cleared in court?" Brenda was hopeful.

"I doubt your case would make it to court. I'm sure the LAPD and the city would want to settle." He saw Brenda's face fall so he continued, "But going to court wouldn't clear your name, Ms. Johnson."

"It wouldn't?" Brenda was surprised and deflated.

"The first action against you was dismissed for lack of evidence and you were dropped from the second lawsuit. So, in the eyes of the law, your name does not need clearing."

"What about removing my wife's name from the Johnson Rule," Fritz asked.

"Well, I'm sure we can get the Johnson Rule either dropped or renamed," Mr. Henegar stated emphatically.

"I don't care whether or not they keep the rule. I just don't want my name attached to it," Brenda said with equal emphasis.

"No, of course you don't. I have to wonder if the purpose of the Johnson Rule was, as you suggested, just a tool to punish or humiliate you. It would certainly seem to be impractical and unenforceable. And that sets up your case very nicely. Of course I would need to file discovery motions to obtain the documentation for your case but, if you decide to proceed, I do believe you could win a nice settlement."

"What specifically do you recommend?" Fritz asked.

"I would recommend an initial filing against the LAPD, the Chief of Police, the commissioners, the City of Los Angeles and the mayor. That would give me discovery of virtually everything that went into their decision making process as well as their motives. From there I would write a more complete petition."

Brenda asked, "How long would that take?"

"I would file a preliminary action and discovery motions as soon as you give me the go-ahead. I believe that once they receive notice of the lawsuit they will be on the phone wanting to settle. I don't expect this to be a long, drawn out case."

"If I can't clear my name in court, my only concern is gettin my name off the Johnson Rule. But do you think we could win enough money to pay for your services?"

"Yes, Ms. Johnson. I'm going to ask for an extremely high award. That will certainly get their attention. Of course, the amount will be negotiated down but we'll settle for a very healthy amount."

"You spoke a moment ago about the emotional fallout. Is there any way that this could boomerang and hurt my wife in her new position?" Fritz sounded uneasy.

"Once the suit is filed, I would suggest that you, Ms. Johnson, advise DA Corning." Then addressing Fritz, "But I know him very well and I sincerely doubt there would be any negative backlash against your wife. And I'm anticipating that they'll be so eager to settle that there will be no problem with the LAPD or the city, either." Then turning back to Brenda, "However, given your unique relationship with Chief Pope, I can't say what his reaction might be."

"I'm not afraid of Will Pope," she dismissed his concern. "When do you need to know my decision?"

"It's your suit, Ms. Johnson. If you decide to file, we will allege defamation of character, slander, libel, and professional malpractice. The statute of limitations is one year from the date of the action or its discovery. By my calculations you can file any time before December 26th."

"There is the possibility of some emotional fallout I need to make both of you aware of," Mr. Henegar cautioned. "A lawsuit, even one which is settled out of court, is bound to create unpleasantness and stress in a marriage."

"Our marriage is strong," Fritz replied. "It has survived a lot of stress. We're not afraid of more."

"Fine. In that case, Mr. Howard, I need to ask you some questions." Fritz nodded so Mr. Henegar proceeded. "I need to know if you want to be added to the suit. If you feel that your marriage, career, or personal well-being has suffered, we can file on your behalf as well."

"I hadn't thought about joining my wife's lawsuit, frankly. As far as my job is concerned I don't think I've suffered in any significant way."

"You were also named in Peter Goldman's suit. And, as I understand it, you paid a considerable amount of money to fund your wife's defense. If you feel that you personally, or your marriage sustained any loss or damages you could possibly be reimbursed."

"I understand what you're saying. But I think there might be future repercussions if I were to join in my wife's lawsuit." Fritz continued, "And, as strange as it sounds, I think the problems that Goldman's suit caused actually served to bring us even closer. Oh, I'm not saying everything was blissful. Far from it. But..."

Brenda hated talking about her marriage with strangers so she quickly interjected, "We need to talk this over but I can assure you that it won't take that long. I should be able to get back to you within the next day or so," she added smiling.

That evening Brenda and Fritz discussed every possible aspect and potential outcome of a lawsuit. By the end of the evening, Brenda had decided to proceed and Fritz fully supported her decision. He also decided not to enter her lawsuit.

"I'll call Mr. Henegar tomorrow," she said as she slid under the covers and turned to Fritz. "But right now I have another pressin problem," she whispered as she kissed his neck and chin.

"Oh? And what would that be?"

"There's a definite shortage of cuddlin goin on in this bed."

"Then I think we should definitely work on that problem right now," Fritz said as he turned out the light.

* * *

Mid-morning Brenda closed her office door and called Mr. Henegar on her cell phone. Since he was busy she left the message with Mrs. Donley that she and her husband had decided to proceed with the lawsuit, but in her name only. Mrs. Donley told her that they would call her when the formal paperwork was complete so she could come in and sign it.

"Fine. I'll wait for your call, then. Thank you so much."

The next day she received a call from Mrs. Donley advising her that the paperwork was ready for her signature so Brenda went to Mr. Henegar's office on her lunch hour and signed all the papers.

"I'll file these this afternoon and mail you a copy for your records. Our process server will serve the defendants tomorrow," Mrs. Donley explained.

Back in her office, Brenda picked up her phone and called Steve Corning's office to make an appointment to advise him of what she was doing. And then she sat back in her chair and thought, "Well, it's on now."


	2. Chapter 2

That evening at dinner, Brenda told Fritz that the paperwork had been filed with the court that afternoon and that all the defendants would be served tomorrow morning.

"Have you told the DA yet?" Fritz asked.

"No. I'm meetin with him first thing in the mornin. I need to get to him before he hears about it from someone else. He seems to trust me and I want to keep it that way," she added.

"I suppose this will be the big topic of conversation at the LAPD."

"Probably," Brenda replied as she got up and pulled a coconut cream pie from the refrigerator. She cut a slice for herself and one for Fritz as well. "What I wouldn't give to be a fly on the wall in the Murder Room."

As she entered her office suite the next morning, she stopped at her secretary's desk. "Linda, I want you to pick up all my calls all day today and if anyone from the LAPD calls, I am unavailable. I especially do not want to speak to Chief Pope."

"Yes, maam."

"Thank you."

Then she went up to Steve Corning's office. She explained the lawsuit. "So, my attorney and I both feel that you need to know that I've filed against the City, the Mayor, the LAPD, the Commissioners, and Chief Pope. They are all bein served notice this mornin," Brenda concluded and then added, "I hope that my action doesn't create any problems for the DA's office, or for you personally."

"Well, your suit won't create problems for me, on either a personal or a professional level. And, as far as our relationship with the LAPD is concerned, we've got those monthly interagency meetings I assigned to you. Since Chief Pope represents the LAPD things might be a bit awkward but I think you can handle it. Other than that, your contact with the LAPD is limited to officers who are not being sued. So, while you probably will have to deal with some feelings about the suit, I can't imagine that there would be an insurmountable problem for you or the DA's office."

"Mr. Henegar feels that the City and the LAPD will settle quickly so maybe there won't be too much fallout," Brenda added.

"Well, I appreciate your giving me a heads up. By the way, I want to set up a regular appointment with you to discuss your division's functioning, specifically your recommendations on how we can improve. So make sure you keep your computer calendar up to date and my secretary will contact you about setting up appointments."

"That would be good. I'm beginnin to realize that my investigators could use some more trainin. I'd like to discuss that with you." As she rose to leave she concluded, "Thank you, Steve. I appreciate your support." DA Corning nodded and smiled and she left his office.

When she got back downstairs her secretary gave her her telephone messages and, sure enough, there were two messages asking that she return Chief Pope's calls. "These are gonna be easy to ignore," she said out loud as she dropped both message slips into her waste basket. About an hour later Linda buzzed her and told her that Agent Howard was on the line so she punched line two.

"Hi, honey," she said cheerfully, "How's your day goin?"

"I just got a call from a very angry Will Pope."

"I had a couple of messages from him but I ignored them. If he has somethin to say he can say it to Mr. Henegar. He's bein paid to handle the defendants, not me."

"Well, that's a luxury I don't have. I can't ignore him," Fritz replied.

"Why not?"

"Have you forgotten that I'm the FBI's liaison to the LAPD?"

"Oh, right," Brenda was more than a little annoyed that Pope would try to influence her through Fritz. "What did he have to say?"

"He just wanted to justify his actions and since he figured that you weren't going to talk to him, he thought he'd try to get me on his side."

"What did he say?"

"That nothing that happened was his fault. That he didn't cause you to do anything that got you into trouble," Fritz sounded irritated.

"Yeah, right." Brenda was still annoyed. "What did you tell him?"

"That talking to me was a waste of time and that he should be talking to the City Attorney."

"Good advice," Brenda concurred.

"I also told him that since I was not in a position to assist either him or anyone else at the LAPD in this matter, he really shouldn't be talking to me about it at all so hopefully he'll leave me alone from now on."

"I hope so too. I'll see you later." And Brenda hung up the phone, thought for a minute, then turned to her computer and composed an email to Pope with a copy to Steve Corning, Fritz and Wilson Henegar:

_Chief Pope:_

_I received your messages but, on the advice of counsel, I am not going to discuss my suit with you and neither is my husband. Please do not contact either one of us again regarding this matter. If you need to speak to someone other than the City Attorney please contact my attorney, Wilson Henegar. Thank you._

_Brenda Leigh Johnson_

_Chief of the Bureau of Investigations_

_District Attorney of the County of Los Angeles_

Brenda clicked send and then got back to work. She hoped she wouldn't have any more contact from Will Pope until the next interagency meeting. She turned her attention back to the statement a second security guard had given after Toomey had killed the other security guard. Brenda noted that the security guard said that Lara's routine was to go jogging every morning before breakfast. He had stated that she usually started between 7:30 and 8:00 and that she always went with a male trainer.

* * *

The next Monday morning found Brenda in her car parked along the dirt road the security guard had said that Lara liked to run. After waiting only ten minutes she saw two joggers coming toward her so she got out of her car with the subpoena in hand and stopped Lara.

"My name is Brenda Leigh Johnson and I'm with the DA's office," she said as she tried to hand Lara the subpoena.

But Lara refused to take it. "I'm not going to testify and you can't fucking make me."

"Lara, if you don't testify there is a good chance that Jeff Toomey could go free and he'll probably be right back here stalkin you again. And he's already proven that he'll do anythin to get to you."

"I don't care what you say. I'm not testifying and you can't make me."

"Yes, we can make you. But it would be much better if you would appear voluntarily," Brenda replied evenly.

"Your fucking subpoena means jackshit to me. I do whatever I want."

"In that case you should know that you will be arrested and your bail has already been set by the judge who signed this order at $15 million dollars. Does doin whatever you want include spendin the next month sittin in a jail cell?"

Lara hesitated but then started to move away from her so Brenda shoved the subpoena into her hand. Lara let go of it and let it drop to the ground. Then, to show her contempt, stepped on it leaving a footprint.

Brenda picked it up and said with a smile, "This footprint is proof of service. Either show up and testify or get ready to sit in jail." And with that she got back in her car and drove to her office. Later she emailed Claire Baldwin and told her that Lara had been successfully served.

* * *

Two weeks later Brenda received a call from Mrs. Donley. "Chief Johnson, we have received the results of our discovery motion and Mr. Henegar would like you to come in and go over the material to make sure nothing has been altered or omitted."

"All right. I'm certainly willin to do that but I can't take work time to do it. Is this somethin I can do from home in the evening?"

"No, I'm afraid not. We don't want anything to leave this office. We want to prevent the plaintiffs from accusing you of modifying or removing anything. But our office is open on Saturdays. If you're available, you are welcome to come here and review the material then."

"All right. I can come in this Saturday."

That Saturday morning, Brenda found herself in Mr. Henegar's conference room surrounded by an impressive number of files. The paralegal, a pleasant young man in his early twenties, had escorted her in and had given her a legal pad. He had told her to jot down any inconsistencies or omissions she discovered as she read but not to put any marks on the material itself.

So she began by reviewing the Internal Affairs' documentation of their audit of Major Crimes. She was gratified to read that Capt. Raydor's initial investigation had completely exonerated her. But even though she had been sure that Chief Pope had insisted on an intensified audit in an effort to deflect attention from his own actions in the Turell Baylor case she still was shocked to read just how blatant his efforts to place the blame entirely on her had been. "I wonder if the Mayor and the Police Commissioners were aware of this when they appointed him Chief," she mused bitterly.

She was also surprised and gratified to read that during both his deposition given to Gavin and his interview with Internal Affairs, Commander Taylor had been very supportive of her. He had stressed, not only her successful record with the LAPD, but her professionalism as well.

And she had to blink away tears when she read how distraught David had been when he learned that Ann Mason had betrayed him. As she read about Ann's betrayal she thought about how emotionally destroyed she would be if Fritz had ever betrayed her and it made her feel guilty for her initial reaction to his being the source of the leak. She was so glad that her instinct had been to request that he become the LAPD's liaison officer to the DA's office.

Reading her team's depositions made her realize all over again what a wonderful group they were. "I'm gonna have to do somethin for them to show my appreciation," she thought. But she knew that she needed to keep her distance for the time being while Sharon wrestled with their misgivings and struggled to remold an effective, loyal unit.

She picked up another file and read that at one of the regular Police Commission meetings, one of the commissioners had suggested that Brenda be awarded the Medal of Valor, the LAPD's highest award for bravery, for leading her squad in preventing a massacre at the shopping mall. While her initial reaction was that her entire squad should have been nominated for that award rather than just her, reading in the meeting minutes that Chief Pope opposed her nomination made her angry. While no reason was cited she realized that it came on the heels of Ricardo Ramos' articles on her unit in which she had rightly stated that Pope assigned her unit's cases. She realized that his opposition was a direct result of her outburst to Ramos which exposed him to criticism from the community.

She picked up another file and was surprised to read that Will had deliberately tried to sabotage her when he first found out that she had applied for the Chief's position. She discovered that he had sent emails to the mayor and all the police commissioners telling them that she was a maverick, difficult to supervise, and that her greatest successes came when he was able to get her to follow his instructions.

She remembered how he had encouraged her to submit her application while telling her that she would never get the job. All of this made Brenda so angry she exploded. "THAT TWO-FACED CREEP!"

She yelled so loudly that the paralegal came running into the conference room thinking that something was wrong. "No, nothin is wrong." Brenda was embarrassed by her outburst. "Except I'm readin evidence that I worked for a self-servin jerk for almost eight years."

"And that is exactly what this firm will hammer home in your lawsuit, Ms. Johnson," the paralegal said.

"I've got the feelin that you deal with this kind of thing all the time," Brenda said sheepishly.

"Every day. As long as I'm here is there anything you need?"

"No, no. I'm fine. Thank you," Brenda replied. So the paralegal left and she went back to studying the files resolving to be quieter.

That evening, she told Fritz what she had discovered. She had thought that he'd be seething but instead he was sympathetic and told her that he was sorry. "It hurts to be betrayed by someone you always thought was your friend," he said.

Brenda nodded and replied, "Yeah, well. At first I was pretty upset but this is gonna make my lawsuit quite a bit easier. And it's also gonna make it easier for me to sit in those meetins and look at him. I'm gonna be smirkin because I filed against him and now I know everythin. I just hope my starin at him will make him sweat and squirm the entire time."

"It doesn't sound like you intend to show any mercy."

"Believe me, my starin him down is nothin compared to rippin his balls off. That's what I'd really like to do."

Fritz chuckled, "Such a ladylike response."

"I'll show you a ladylike response," as she pushed him down on the sofa, climbed on top and began kissing him and unbuttoning his shirt.

* * *

On the following Monday Brenda picked up her notebook, threw it into her purse, and headed for Steve's conference room. She was the first person there so she helped herself to coffee and a danish and chose a seat just as Will Pope entered. He cleared his throat and said, "Hello, Brenda."

"Will," she acknowledged him keeping all emotion out of her voice.

It looked to her like he intended to sit next to her so she put her purse in the empty seat forcing him to take another one. He chose the seat directly opposite her.

Pope broached the subject. "I received your paperwork."

"So my attorney tells me. And we received quite a bit of discovery material. But I don't want to discuss this with you. As I told you in my email, if you want to discuss it, contact my attorney."

Will softened his voice, "Is all this really necessary, Brenda? You don't want to do this."

"Drop it, Will."

But he wasn't ready to drop it. He pleaded, "If you insist on doing this you'll take everything in my kids' college fund."

"Will, you've used your kids to manipulate me for the last time. It's not workin anymore so drop it."

"But..."

"DROP IT, I said." Brenda practically shouted at him.

Just then Steve Corning, accompanied by others, entered the conference room and greeted Pope, which saved Brenda from having to once again direct him to her attorney. Steve began the meeting by introducing Brenda to the entire room and saying some flattering things about her work at the LAPD as well as at the DA's office so she just smiled at Steve and then stared at Pope. When the meeting was adjourned Pope left the room immediately while Brenda stayed and spoke with the people who had stepped up to welcome her to their group.

At noon one of her investigators was called to pick up a sick child at school so Brenda volunteered to deliver her paperwork to the court clerk. After the long, tense meeting she'd just had, Brenda welcomed the chance for a brisk walk. As she was leaving the clerk's office she ran into Sharon Raydor at the elevator and accepted Sharon's invitation to have a cup of coffee.

Brenda could hardly wait to ask how Rusty was adjusting so they talked about him and Sharon told her that his mother had abandoned him a second time and that his father had proved to be unfit and had signed away his parental rights.

"Oh, that's so heart breakin. Poor Rusty."

"So, he'll continue to stay with me as long as he needs to," Sharon concluded.

Talk soon drifted to fallout at the LAPD from Brenda's lawsuit. Sharon told her that the rumor mill had a full head of steam and that it was the talk around every water cooler.

"How is Major Crimes handlin the news?" Brenda wanted to know.

"Oh, they're supportive of you, of course. They still really miss you. I always knew they were loyal to you and that they didn't particularly like Chief Pope but I never expected their emotional reaction to news of your lawsuit. They actually high fived each other."

"Well, I never said anythin to them against Chief Pope."

"No, they arrived at that conclusion on their own. They really do have a high opinion of themselves. Expecially Provenza."

Brenda grinned, nodded, and then changed the subject. "I can't really discuss the lawsuit but I will say that I have reviewed the discovery material so I pretty much know what people were doin behind the scenes and behind my back," Brenda said. "I want to thank you for clearin me in your investigation."

"Don't thank me. I just followed the facts as they revealed themselves," Sharon responded.

"Well, I really do appreciate all the support you've given to me. But I have to confess that the only thing that really surprised me was readin how supportive Commander Taylor was. We've never had a friendly relationship."

"No, I would never characterize your relationship as one of friends. But he respects you," Sharon commented.

"Speakin of respect, Fritz said that he has enjoyed workin with you. I think he feels it's a huge improvement over workin with me," Brenda grinned.

"I have really enjoyed working with him too. Everyone at the LAPD seems to have a low opinion of the FBI but I have found Agent Howard to be very helpful and professional. But I have to say that I don't know how you two did it. I never would have been able to work with my husband," Sharon smiled back.

"Well, Fritz certainly enjoys workin with Major Crimes now. Their contempt for the FBI doesn't even really bother him."

"Like I said, they really have a high opinion of themselves."

Brenda laughed and looked at her watch. "I have to get back to work. I'm glad I ran into you. I've wanted to call but I felt you needed time to establish yourself first. If you think it won't be an issue, tell the guys that I miss them too."

"I'll tell them that you said hello."

Brenda smiled knowingly, nodded, and they both left the coffee shop.

When she got back to her office Brenda asked Linda to call DDA Baldwin and ask her to come up to her office. A few minutes later, Linda buzzed her and told her that DDA Baldwin had arrived.

"Oh, good. Tell her to come on in," Brenda replied. She smiled and invited her to take a seat. "I've reviewed the file and I want to return it to you," as she handed the file to Claire. "And I also want to compliment you on the fine job you've done organizin this case."

"Thank you, Chief Johnson." Claire was taken off guard.

"Have you heard anythin more from our reluctant star?"

"I've spoken to her lawyer. She's not happy about it but she'll testify. He apparently told her that you weren't bluffing and that if she tangled with you that there was no way she could win. I'm going to go over her testimony with her day after tomorrow."

"I got a call from the court clerk. The judge wants me in court just in case Lara gets cold feet or a sudden case of amnesia."

"All right. But she really does seem resigned to testifying. Your threats of jail plus the $15 million dollar bail seem to be all the motivation that she needed."

"Good. It sounds like you've got everythin under control. If there's anythin more you need from Investigations, just let me know."

"Thank you, Chief Johnson," Claire couldn't quite believe how helpful Brenda had been. She got up and left Brenda's office deciding she didn't want to look that particular gift horse in the mouth.


	3. Chapter 3

Brenda was on her way back from lunch the next day when her cell phone rang. It was Wilson Henegar. When she answered it he said, "Ms. Johnson, the City Attorney's office called and would like to set up a meeting for the day after tomorrow. He specifically asked that you be present but I would advise against it."

"Why don't you think I should be there?" Brenda was surprised and mistrust was evident in her voice.

"Because it's a tactic. He thinks he can appeal to your emotions to drop the lawsuit or settle for a crumb. This is just the initial meeting. You have the right to attend, of course. It's your suit. But I would strongly urge that you allow me to attend on your behalf and listen to their initial offer. If they even make an offer at this point. They may not."

"It's not that I don't trust you, Mr. Henegar," Brenda explained. "But you have to understand. It's just that I knew nothin about bein dropped from Peter Goldman's lawsuit or the Johnson Rule until everyone, includin Gavin, had already agreed to it. And I had no say whatsoever, even though I was Goldman's primary target. I never want anythin like that to ever happen to me again."

"No, of course you don't. And I certainly understand your feelings. But if you attend, the pressure on you to accept what is likely to be a ridiculously low offer will be intense. If you will let me represent you at this meeting, I promise that I will not accept or negotiate anything on your behalf."

"I can resist a lot of pressure, Mr. Henegar."

"I know you think that you can but you scared my paralegal to death when you read the discovery. And you were not sitting across the table from the defendants."

Brenda suppressed a giggle thinking about the young paralegal nearly jumping out of his skin and rushing into the room to see what was wrong.

"I really do think you should let me handle this initial meeting," Mr. Henegar pressed. "Again, I promise that I will simply listen to what they have to offer and bring that offer back to you for discussion. You still maintain control."

"My instinct tells me I should be there, but, against my better judgment, I will defer to your expertise this time. But I want to attend future meetins. And I want to hear everythin that happens just as soon as possible."

"I will call you just as soon as I get back to the office," he assured her.

Brenda then called Fritz. "Hi, do you have a minute?" she asked.

"Barely," Fritz replied. "I'm walking down the hall for a meeting with Taylor and Dave Martin. Why? What's up?"

She told him about Mr. Henegar's call and said, "We really need to decide realistically what our bottom line is on this lawsuit. Can you leave on time today?"

"Even if I have to leave the meeting early," Fritz promised.

That night when they were sitting on the couch, Brenda told Fritz, "I still don't want any money. But I think Mr. Henegar is right. You are entitled to get your $25,000 back."

"But I'm not in the lawsuit so there won't be any settlement where I'm concerned."

"Not directly, no. But I can make sure that I get that much," Brenda explained.

"When I paid Gavin's retainer, I paid it because I wanted you to have the best defense possible," he said as he took her hand in his.

"You paid it because you wanted to watch baseball on TV," Brenda countered dryly.

"I'll show you what I want to watch," Fritz replied while unbuttoning her blouse.

"Oh. So I'm as interestin as a Dodgers game?" Brenda teased.

"Oh, more," was all Fritz said as he unhooked her bra.

* * *

The following day Brenda called Margie Donovan and asked to view the tape of Lara's dry run testimony.

"Certainly, Chief Johnson. But why do you want to see it? Evaluating Claire Baldwin's work is my job," Margie said, clearly surprised by the request.

"I don't want to evaluate her performance, Margie. I know she's competent. I just need to make sure that nothin was left hangin that my division needs to put in place before trial."

"All right. I'll send a DVD up to your office."

"Thank you so much."

The next morning, Brenda found it hard to concentrate. She kept watching the clock waiting for Mr. Henegar to call. "I have to focus," she scolded herself as she replayed the DVD of Lara's meeting with DDA Baldwin. She didn't hear or see anything which made her think that the Bureau of Investigations needed to take further action in this case at the moment but she was concerned by Lara's body language. She saw a young woman who was saying one thing but thinking something else so she penned a quick note to Margie Donovan and asked Linda to take the note and the DVD back to her.

Looking at the clock again she muttered, "What's takin so long? Is he goin back to his office by way of Siberia?" But just as she was debating which file she needed to tackle next, her cell phone rang. She was disappointed to see that it was Fritz.

"Hi, Fritzi. What's up?"

"Nothing. I just wondered if you wanted to get some lunch with me."

"I'm sorry, honey, I can't. I'm gonna have to take a late lunch hour today. I'm waitin for Mr. Henegar to call and I've got to meet with Judge Horran after his mornin' session. He wants to tell me how he wants our investigations to proceed," she said, sarcasm drenching every syllable.

"I'll bet that thrills you no end," Fritz replied deadpan.

"Humph. Just what I need. Another person who has never conducted a criminal investigation or an interrogation tellin me what to do."

"Keep your cool, honey, and I'll see you at home tonight."

"Oh, I'll keep my cool. Don't worry. You won't have to post my bail. Of course, I may ignore his helpful hints entirely." She exaggerated the words "helpful hints" to stress her annoyance.

Fritz chuckled, "That's my girl."

"I'll see you at home tonight. Bye." Brenda hung up the phone and decided to read Sgt. Gabriel's report on the results of the real estate fraud case one of her investigators had handled.

As promised, Mr. Henegar called her after the preliminary settlement meeting. "Just as I suspected, the purpose of this meeting was less to make a settlement offer and more to pressure you into dropping your lawsuit. The Assistant City Attorney made reference to your demand that your name be dropped from the Johnson Rule and complained at length that you were not present. He even went so far as to hint that he would not deal with anyone but you. I had to remind him that you are entitled to be represented by counsel. But despite all the verbiage, he made no concrete offers. This meeting was basically a probe."

"Was anyone else named in the suit there? What is the LAPD's position on droppin my name from the Johnson Rule?" Brenda wanted to know.

"Chief Pope was there but he didn't indicate what the LAPD's position was."

"In that case I think I'm glad I didn't waste my time attendin that meetin," Brenda said.

"I suggested that they put together a realistic counteroffer addressing all our demands before we meet again and the City Attorney said he would put together something. He'll call me when he has something more substantial to discuss."

"Then I want to attend that meetin."

"Yes, Ms. Johnson, I'm sure they'll have a much more substantial package to offer and it would be appropriate for you to attend."

"What makes you think they'll come up with a reasonable package?" Brenda asked.

"Because I told them that if they wanted to waste my time then the settlement amount would have to go up."

Brenda chuckled and then asked, "When do you think the next meetin will be?"

"I expect to hear from him tomorrow or the next day."

"All right. Let me know," Brenda asked and they ended the call.

As expected, Mr. Henegar called her the following day and said that they wanted to meet again tomorrow. She checked her calendar and said that she would change an appointment in order to be there.

"The meeting will be in my conference room. So come to my office about half an hour early."

The next day Brenda was in Wilson Henegar's waiting room, notebook in hand, preparing for their meeting with the opposition. Since Fritz was not included in the lawsuit Mr. Henegar had told her that he could not attend. That was just as well since he and Mr. Henegar both would probably try to restrain her and she wasn't at all sure she wanted to be restrained. Finally, Mrs. Donley admitted her to Mr. Henegar's office. Brenda was geared up for a sparring match and she was irritated by his calm, almost disinterested demeanor.

"Ms. Johnson, before we go to the conference room I want to advise you to remain quiet and let me do all the talking. If you have anything to say please jot down your comments and pass them to me."

This was something Brenda did not want to agree to and Mr. Henegar read her expression perfectly.

"I will pay careful attention to any note you pass to me and, as I've already promised, I will not stipulate to any settlement offer without your approval. We are not going to be pressured into accepting anything today."

"Mr. Henegar, I understand both of our roles here. But I do not understand why you are askin me to remain silent. I think I'm capable of exercisin proper restraint."

"I know how you feel, Ms. Johnson. But this is an entirely different arena than you have operated in previously. I think I'm much better suited to verbally cross swords with these people when the time comes. And, after all, isn't that why you hired me?"

This was logic Brenda couldn't deny so she nodded and said, "Well, I'll try."

"Good. Just keep your emotions under control. That sounds simple but it's going to require a lot of effort on your part."

And with that they walked across the hall to the conference room where Chief Pope, and two other men were waiting. They introduced themselves as John Bandy, the City Attorney and Peter Forsley, an Assistant City Attorney. Brenda noticed a rather thick sheaf of papers on the table in front of Mr. Bandy.

Pope stared at her but she pointedly ignored him and only nodded when he said, "Hello, Brenda".

Mr. Bandy began the meeting by saying that the City and the LAPD met and prepared a counter proposal. As he spoke he handed Brenda and Mr. Henegar a copy of their counteroffer. Scanning through it Brenda noticed that their main, and only, offer seemed to be a $1,000,000 settlement. She looked through it a second time but saw no mention of the Johnson Rule. She heard Mr. Bandy say that this offer would remain in effect until midnight.

Mr. Henegar replied, "I see no mention here of the removal of my client's name from the Johnson Rule. Am I missing some pages?"

"No. You have our entire counteroffer," Mr. Forsley said.

Brenda shook her head no so Mr. Henegar replied, "In that case, my client does not consider this a good faith effort to settle."

"$1,000,000 is a very generous settlement offer." Mr. Bandy sounded incredulous but Brenda knew he was posturing.

"Unless you are prepared to drop my client's name from the Johnson Rule, we are prepared to go to court where I am sure we will win handily."

"I don't think so, Wilson." Brenda was somewhat surprised to hear the indication that these two were on a first name basis.

"You have no evidence to present which gives any credible reason for attaching my client's name to that rule. We are prepared to argue that the only reason that you used her name was to humiliate and punish my client. And we are prepared to show Chief Johnson's stellar record of solving crimes and obtaining air-tight confessions during her tenure with the LAPD. If you want to show the world that you are vindictive for no good reason, there is nothing left to discuss. We'll let the jury decide," Mr. Henegar stated with more emotion than Brenda had ever heard from him.

"Given the two previous lawsuits filed against your client, you could never convince a jury of her innocence," Mr. Forsley interjected.

"We would not need to convince a jury of her innocence, counselor." Mr. Henegar talked to him as if he were a first year law student. "All we would have to do would be to tell the jury that the first lawsuit was dismissed for lack of evidence and that my client was dropped from the second suit. And as far as the precipitating case is concerned, we will tell the jury that Ms. Johnson actually solved the murder she was accused of planning. And we would ask the jury to consider that her name was dropped from that suit in order to protect Chief Pope's career. We would explain that by imposing the Johnson Rule on my client, he was attempting to save his reputation by purposely besmirching hers."

Although their expressions didn't change Brenda watched all three men's spines stiffen.

Mr. Henegar also observed this and continued, "The jury will also hear how Chief Pope brought my client to Los Angeles in order to seduce her and, in fact, attempted to seduce her on multiple occasions. They'll hear Estelle Pope Deison discuss the devastating effects Chief Pope's fixation on my client had on their marriage."

Hearing this, Pope leaned over the table and, with spittle flying from his mouth, shouted, "I didn't bring Brenda to LA to seduce her!"

Mr. Bandy put his hand on Pope's arm as he said, "Wilson, that is absolutely preposterous. Chief Pope brought Ms. Johnson to LA in order to improve the functioning of a homicide unit. Nothing more."

"Of course that's your position, John. But let's take that statement at face value for a minute. If Chief Pope did indeed feel he needed to bring a police officer clear across country in order to clean up a mess in his own police force, he must have determined that she was the best police officer in the country for the job. The jury will certainly be instructed to consider that fact alongside the resolution of the two lawsuits filed against her. So, if you raise that defense, the jury will hear both arguments. And both arguments work in my client's favor, not Chief Pope's.

Chief Pope let out an angry rumble and Mr. Bandy gave him a stern look to silence him. Then he turned to Mr. Henegar, "Wilson, we all know that the Johnson Rule was imposed because of your client's bad acts, not Chief Pope's."

Mr. Henegar ignored him and continued, "They'll also hear how Chief Johnson almost lost her life on three separate occasions because Chief Pope denied her the support she needed to properly and safely apprehend a rapist and two serial killers thereby risking, not only her life, but public safety as well. We will ask the jury to determine if Chief Pope's failure to provide appropriate tactical support and backup for my client was the result of his anger at her for rejecting his sexual overtures, or if it was simply his incompetent police work. Either way, I don't think they'll have any difficulty in seeing things our way."

Every vein in Chief Pope's neck was sticking out. He was clearly shocked and infuriated by what he had just heard. He wasn't the only one. Brenda was also shocked by this line of negotiating. She had never told Mr. Henegar about her previous intimate relationship with Pope. Nor had she ever told him of her frustrations with many of his decisions as her supervisor. And yet he had gone right to the core of Pope's machinations. Mr. Henegar's legwork clearly had extended beyond the discovery motion he had filed.

Mr. Henegar concluded, "My suggestion to you would be to adjourn for a few minutes and come up with a reasonable settlement offer. Because if you don't, my next step will be to have cocktails with a good friend of mine who also happens to be the editor of the _LA Times_ Metro section."

Brenda knew exactly what he was doing. She had used the same tactic to considerable success in the past.

"Now hold on, Wilson. There's no need to go to the press or to waste everyone's time with publicity or a court case on this suit," John Bandy replied sounding slightly alarmed.

"In that case, why don't we adjourn for a few minutes? You can work here on a reasonable settlement offer and we'll reconvene in thirty minutes."

"If we only have that amount of time, we need some guidelines from you as to your definition of reasonable," Peter Forsley said.

"My client's name needs to come off the Johnson Rule. That's first and foremost. As far as a financial settlement is concerned, your proffer of $1,000,000 is also woefully inadequate. We'll be back in thirty minutes."

"We'll need more than thirty minutes," Forsley said.

"Why? You only have two items to consider. Thirty minutes is adequate," Mr. Henegar replied as he escorted Brenda from the room without waiting for a reply.

When the conference room door closed, John Bandy said, "All right. Let's see if we can't wind this up today."

Pope looked at him in amazement and said, "You're not going to let them get away with that collection of lies and half truths are you?"

"Will, there is no way we can win in court. We have to settle this. So it doesn't matter what Henegar just said."

"But I don't want to see them get away with what they just did to me." Pope was getting angry all over again.

"Wilson Henegar is one of the top civil law attorneys in the city. If we force him to go to court we will lose. So put away your wounded pride and let's settle this now."

"How do you know they would win?" Will wasn't ready to give in.

"Because the jury will see a beautiful and extremely talented woman with a record that exceeds just about every other police officer in the state whose reputation has been damaged by needlessly attaching her name to a rule which is, frankly, ill-conceived and flawed. And even though he didn't bring it up today, don't think Henegar won't bring it up in court."

"Flawed how?"

"It's unenforceable, costly, and opens the LAPD up to even more liability. The new Police Commissioner told me that himself. How will you justify that rule alone, not to mention attaching Chief Johnson's name to it? And the history of your relationship with her will further damage your case, not to mention your reputation."

Chief Pope just sighed and sat back in his chair looking miserable.

"Look, Will. I know you don't like settling. But believe me when I tell you that Henegar isn't bluffing when he says he will go to the media. In addition to the bad press for both the LAPD and you personally now, imagine how bad it will be when every news outlet in the city is in court and broadcasts not only her testimony but that of your ex-wife as well. If you want to salvage your reputation and maybe even your job we need to settle this."

Back in Mr. Henegar's office, Brenda said, "I need to correct somethin."

"Oh? What's that?" Mr. Henegar asked.

"I don't think Will Pope failed to give me backup as payback for not renewin an affair with him."

"Tell me, Ms. Johnson, when you were trying to get a confession, did you ever present a worse case scenario to a suspect, even though you knew that scenario was not correct, in order to get him to confess to the facts?"

"Ah, I never realized how similar our tactics have to be," Brenda said. Then she changed the subject. "I would think they'd have figured out by now that I'd accept a lower settlement amount as long as the Johnson Rule disappeared."

"They certainly do know that, Ms. Johnson. Their initial offering of $1,000,000 is just a probe to see how strongly you feel about your name being attached to the Johnson Rule. This is all kabuki theater. I expect that we will settle this by the end of the week. But, let me ask you if you have rethought the amount of money you want to receive from this action."

"I want the Johnson Rule renamed or removed, sir. And I want to give my husband back the $25,000 he spent on my defense. Beyond that, you just need to calculate what you want as compensation for your services. I really don't care."

"All right, but I can only accept the agreed upon percentage of the total settlement amount we receive. You need to decide what you want to do with the rest," he reminded her looking at his watch.

Brenda nodded in agreement but she had another issue to discuss with him. "How did you know that Chief Pope tried to seduce me? I have never said anythin to anyone about that."

"Easy, Ms. Johnson. There was just no way, with his fixation on you and his marriage in tatters, that he wouldn't try to seduce you again." Then he concluded by saying, "Their time is up. Let's go back in and see where we are."

As he opened his office door for her, Brenda observed, "I see I'm not the only investigator in this room."

Mr. Henegar just smiled and replied, "It's all part of the process, Ms. Johnson."

When they took their seats back in the conference room, Mr. Henegar began, "Gentlemen, do you have another offer for our consideration?"

"Yes. Chief Pope and the City have come to an agreement." Mr. Bandy then listed the revised terms. "Our offer to you, Ms. Johnson, is we agree to drop your name from the Johnson Rule. The City is offering a settlement of $2,000,000. In return you agree to drop Chief Pope from your suit. And both sides stipulate to a mutual gag order."

"And, of course, my client expects you to pay all court costs and fees," Mr. Henegar added. John Bandy nodded in agreement.

This time Brenda was the one who spoke. "I think we need to adjourn again to discuss this offer."

"Yes," Mr. Henegar was in agreement. "Why don't we adjourn? When we receive your revised offer in writing we'll certainly consider it."

"Fine. I'll write up our offer and deliver it to you as soon as possible," John said.

When they were back in Mr. Henegar's office Brenda observed, "You know, they insisted that Chief Pope's name be dropped from the suit because if his name was attached to a settlement it would damage his reputation and career the way he did mine."

"That's very likely. The City certainly wants to protect the reputation of their choice for Chief of Police. Also, he may not have the money to pay into your settlement."

"He's already tried to play on my sympathies by tellin me that I was tryin to steal his kids' college money," Brenda said.

Mr. Henegar furrowed his brow. "What did you tell him?"

"Nothin, really. I told him I wasn't gonna fall for that line again and that he should talk to you. How long do you think it will take to get the hard copy of their offer?"

"We should get it tomorrow. Read it carefully and then we'll talk again. And please don't discuss it with anyone except your husband."

"No, sir. I won't. Thank you."

On her way home that evening Brenda thought about the lawsuit and realized that its conclusion would be the final severing of her ties with the LAPD and a lump rose in her throat.


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning, Mr. Henegar called and said that he was sending a copy of the City's offer over to her by courier. "Please read it but don't discuss it with anyone except your husband. I have to be out of the office for the rest of the day so I'm going to transfer you to Mrs. Donley and she'll make an appointment for us to discuss it together."

"How much time do we have?"

"The offer states 24 hours but I told John that I would be out of the office for the rest of the day so he verbally agreed to 48 hours," he replied as he transferred her to Mrs. Donley.

"Good morning, Ms. Johnson. Are you available tomorrow morning?" Mrs. Donley asked in her usual professional, cheerful voice.

Linda buzzed Brenda about half an hour later and told her that a messenger had dropped off an envelope for her. But, as much as she wanted to, she had no time to look at it until she got home that night.

She didn't see Fritz's car in the driveway as she rounded the corner onto her street. "Good," she thought. "Maybe I can read through the offer before Fritzi gets home." So she settled down on the couch with a glass of Merlot and Joel on her lap and pulled out the offer. "I don't see any surprises," she told Joel as she stroked his fur. He purred his reply. "So what do you think, baby? Should I settle this thing once and for all?" But Joel was clearly bored with this line of conversation so he jumped off her lap and went hunting for something more worthy of his attention.

The phone rang. It was Fritz telling her that he was probably going to be participating in a stakeout all night long. "We're hoping to roll up the Barrado drug ring," he explained. Brenda knew that the Barrado brothers were the Catorce's drug suppliers and she hoped that quashing them would severely cripple the Catorce gang.

"Ok, honey. Good luck and I'll see you tomorrow." She decided not to distract him with news of the offer since he didn't have either the time or the privacy to discuss it.

That night she had a hard time sleeping. Her feelings about the lawsuit, the Johnson Rule, missing Major Crimes, the new policy of deal making, and the surprise of Chief Taylor's support all somersaulted through her consciousness and made sleep impossible. She really needed to talk to Fritz. "He's so clear-headed," she said, even though she knew she'd give him a hard time about whatever he had to say. "Oh, well. This is my lawsuit and my responsibility," she said to herself as she inhaled his scent from his old T-shirt she'd worn to bed.

The next morning she went directly to Mr. Henegar's office. "Good morning, Ms. Johnson," he greeted her. "Have a seat and we'll go through the offer line by line."

After a discussion of the entire offer Brenda asked, "What is your recommendation, sir?"

"I think it's a fair offer. It only eliminates your name from the Johnson Rule. But my source on the Police Commission told me that the Commissioner doesn't like the rule and that it's likely to disappear regardless of what happens in your suit. Of course, that means that they will have to deal with Peter Goldman again. But, as you can see in this agreement, no use of your name and no action against you can be made, now or in the future. So changing their agreement with Mr. Goldman will be their problem. John Bandy assures me that nothing will reflect on you."

"Does he think Chief Pope will agree to that?" Brenda was suspicious.

"Oh, yes, I'm sure. He now knows the alternative is to have his dirty laundry aired in public and that would very likely damage his career."

"I must admit that lettin him off the hook sticks in my craw. But since my name is comin off the Johnson Rule I guess I can live with that," Brenda replied. "But I don't want to take any chances. I want the wordin to be air tight. I don't want their dealins with Goldman to come back to hurt me again."

"I will personally review every letter and punctuation mark in the agreement before I recommend that you sign it," Ms. Johnson. "You will be protected," Mr. Henegar assured her.

"Well, that makes me feel safe. Even though my previous attorney betrayed me, for some reason I trust you."

Mr. Henegar chuckled, "I take that as high praise, Ms. Johnson."

Brenda smiled and asked, "So, if we're in agreement, are we ready to sign?"

"Almost. I want to have John include everything we agreed to verbally. That should strengthen it even further. I should have the final version shortly and I'll send it to you by messenger after I've reviewed it."

"All right. I'll wait to receive it, then. Thank you so much, sir." Brenda smiled.

When she got back to her office she saw an urgent message to call Claire Baldwin. "Hello, DDA Baldwin. This is Chief Johnson. What can I do for you?"

"Oh, yes. Thank you for returning my call. I just spoke to Lara's attorney and she is once again refusing to testify." She sounded alarmed.

"I was afraid this might happen," Brenda was annoyed. "Have you seated a jury yet?"

"Yes, and testimony is supposed to start tomorrow."

"What's the order of your lineup?"

"I think the housekeeper will be my first witness and the security guard will be next, followed by the coroner, then the arresting officers. Before Lara testifies I think the judge wants to hear from you so you should both testify day after tomorrow, provided she shows up."

"All right. I guess I need to pay Lara another visit and I want to take that warrant with me. We may be arrestin our star witness."

"I don't think she'll talk to you. Her agent says she's practically barricaded herself behind the walls of her estate."

"Oh, she'll talk to me, all right. Have no doubt about that," and Brenda dialed Sgt. Gabriel's desk. When he answered she commanded, "Sargent Gabriel, please alert the Hollywood Division that I need four squad cars at Lara's front gate in an hour. Tell them to bring a batterin ram and make sure it's visible on the security camera."

"Yes, ma'am," he replied.

Brenda met DDA Baldwin outside her door, took the warrant, and told her secretary that she was leaving to visit a reluctant witness.

Driving up to the front of Lara's estate she met the squad cars and told the men to make sure the squad cars' lights were flashing and to follow her. Next she rang the bell. When the housekeeper answered Brenda told her that she needed to speak with Lara.

"She's not here," the housekeeper answered but Brenda could tell from the stress in her voice that she was not telling the truth.

"I think she is, ma'am, and I need to speak with her. Please put her on the speaker."

Brenda next heard Lara's petulant voice. "I'm not talking to you."

"I know you can hear me but are you where you can see the police officers behind me?"

"Yeah," Lara answered, still in a defiant tone.

"Then, can you see the large, heavy metal object they are carryin? That is a batterin ram. If you will not let us in, they will use it to destroy the lock on your gate." And when Lara was silent, Brenda continued, "And are you where you can see your toothbrush?"

"No, why?" Lara sounded puzzled.

"Because that is likely the only thing you'll be able to keep with you when you are placed under arrest. Because I also have a warrant and these gentlemen have handcuffs. Because I'm sure by now the TV stations and paparazzi's scanners have all gone off and they are on their way. So are you gonna let us in, or do you want every paper and news channel in the country to see us batter down your gate and drag you out in handcuffs?"

Silence. Then Lara said, "All right. You can come in. But only you."

"You do not tell me who I can bring with me. This warrant lets me bring whoever I want with me," Brenda lied.

Lara was silent but Brenda heard the lock release and she, followed by four police officers, walked up to the front door. They were admitted by the housekeeper.

Lara, no longer defiant, was practically in tears and pleaded, "Please don't make me face that man."

Brenda wasn't sure whether Lara's emotion was simply an act or whether she was still terrified of Toomey. But she decided that by now she probably was equally terrified of her and that it was best to keep that fear going. "I've already told you that, even though he'll be in the court room, there is no way he can get to you unless you refuse to testify. And I don't like repeatin myself. I find it borin."

Lara's demeanor immediately changed. "That's what I thought," Brenda said to herself before speaking to Lara. "Now I've already proven that I can get to you wherever you go. So what's it gonna be? Are you gonna cooperate and testify?"

Again, Lara hesitated so Brenda added. "All right, I've had enough. Officers, arrest her and read her her rights."

One of the officers produced his handcuffs. "No, wait! I'll be there. Claire Baldwin said I would testify day after tomorrow," Lara said in a panicked tone.

"Now that's the right answer. I'll see you in court day after tomorrow. And don't even think about not showin up. There's no way that would end well for you," she said sternly. When Lara nodded, Brenda added, "Thank you so much." And the housekeeper showed her and the police officers out.

When she got back to her office she called Claire Baldwin to advise her that Lara would be testifying after all. "I'm sure she's more afraid of me than she is of Jeff Toomey at the moment," Brenda concluded.

"I'm sure she is too," DDA Baldwin chuckled."

Brenda then called Steve Corning and told him that she had to strong-arm Lara in order to get her to agree to testify. "I just want to give you a heads-up in case Lara decides to plead her case before the media. I doubt she will, but you need to be aware," she concluded.

"Thank you, Chief Johnson. I might hear from her attorney but I hear from witnesses' attorneys all the time. I doubt we'll have any problems from her."

She next turned her attention to the manilla envelope Linda said was delivered by messenger while she was out. There was a sticky note on the first page in Mr. Henegar's handwriting saying that he approved of this agreement. Brenda read it and saw that the language protecting her from any future negotiations with Goldman had been beefed up and the provision that the city would pay all fees and court costs had been added. She buzzed Linda to come in and bring her notary stamp with her. She signed it and, when it was notarized, told Linda that she was leaving for the day. She dropped the agreement off with Mrs. Donley then stopped at the grocery store on her way home.

Fritz was asleep on the couch when she got home so she tiptoed to her closet, changed her clothes, and went into the kitchen to start dinner. Fritz awoke to the aroma of meatloaf baking and the methodical thump, thump, thump of potatoes being mashed so he went into the kitchen and kissed his wife.

"Mmm. I don't know which tastes better. Your kisses or meatloaf," Fritz smiled at her.

"I know which you'd better say tastes better if you don't want these potatoes dumped on your head," Brenda retorted in mock annoyance.

"Well, I guess I'll have to eat some of that meatloaf to decide."

"You're sure in a good mood. How about settin the table while I finish gettin dinner ready?"

When they were both seated Brenda asked, "So, did you get the Barrado brothers?"

"Mmm hmm," Fritz murmured as he savored the meal. "We caught them with a room full of cocaine, heroin, and lots of cash. They're finished."

"So the Catorces will just have to find another supplier. I wonder how long that will take," Brenda commented.

"Oh, there's no shortage of low level cartel operatives who are more than willing to supply them."

Brenda sighed, "It's like tryin to drain a river with a thimble, isn't it?"

"Exactly. But we have to continue to try."

When they had finished eating Brenda picked up her copy of the final agreement and told Fritz that the lawsuit was finally settled. As he took the agreement from her hands he asked, "Have you signed it?"

"Yes. I dropped it off on my way home. It's over."

Fritz sat down on the couch. As he read it Brenda sat down beside him. Fritz whistled through his teeth. "Two million dollars. Wow. So you're getting over a million dollars?"

"I'm only gettin $25,000. Nothin more." Fritz turned to her with a puzzled expression so she continued. "I don't want one dime beyond what I want to give back to you. I'm donatin the rest of it to the Stern and Duran Victims Assistance Fund for an endowment." Since Fritz's expression didn't change she explained. "Mike Stern and Enrique Duran were the two LAPD officers who were gunned down by Neo Nazis about five months after we got married. That money will provide a college education for the children of police officers who are killed in the line of duty."

Fritz searched his memory for a moment. "Now I remember." Then he put the agreement down and put his arms around Brenda. "That's a wonderful thing to do," and he kissed her gently. "I love you."

"More than meatloaf?" Brenda teased.

"Even more than meatloaf. And that's saying a lot," he grinned. Then Fritz picked her up and carried her into the bedroom.

* * *

Two days later Brenda was in the courtroom when DDA Baldwin approached her and said that the judge wanted her to be deposed in camera. Brenda knew that meant that she would give her testimony privately. Only the judge, the court stenographer, the attorneys and, if he desired, the defendant would be in the courtroom. As expected when it came time for Brenda to be deposed as to what was involved in getting Lara to testify, the judge ordered the jury, the spectators and other witnesses excluded.

After the bailiff cleared the courtroom and Brenda was sworn in, DDA Baldwin asked her to describe her attempts to locate Lara and convince her to return to Los Angeles. So Brenda told of contacting the NYPD and asking them to find Lara and ask her to voluntarily return to testify. She told the court about her telephone conversation with Lt. Kowalski regarding his contact with the witness. Then DDA Baldwin introduced his sworn statement describing how he had located Lara and that she refused to return voluntarily in order to testify. The opposing attorneys examined the statement and allowed it to be entered into evidence.

Brenda then described her initial contact with Lara in order to serve her with a subpoena and Brenda's affidavit of service was entered into the record. She then was asked to recount her most recent contact with the witness. And she concluded by saying, "It took the threat of imminent arrest before she changed her mind and agreed to appear."

Jeff Toomey's attorney stood up and asked if Brenda would characterize her threats as necessary and realistic, suggesting that the DA's office exceeded its authority.

"Yes, they were necessary and very realistic. We were ready to break down the gate and bring her to court in handcuffs if necessary," Brenda responded.

"And would you also say that your threats of violence were necessary?"

"They definitely were necessary. The court could not allow her to defy the law. I had a lawful warrant and the judge had assigned a reasonable bail, considerin the witness' resources."

The attorney then turned to the judge and said, "Your honor, it is clear that the witness was improperly served. A footprint is not proof of service."

DDA Baldwin responded, "This is Lara's footprint and it is as much proof of service as an X written by the witness."

"I will allow the footprint to stand as proof of service," the judge ruled.

The defense attorney continued, "This was clearly an abuse of power and it's obvious that the prosecutor's witness will be testifying under duress. I move that Lara be dismissed as she is obviously an unreliable witness given the threats and intimidation she endured."

But the judge denied the motion and said, "I find that the District Attorney's investigator acted properly given the witness' behavior. The witness will be required to testify. Should she refuse she will be cited for contempt of court and remanded to jail."

With the judge's ruling, Brenda's deposition was finished. She stepped down and took her seat beside Claire Baldwin. The judge announced that testimony would resume in fifteen minutes and ordered the bailiff to open up the courtroom to interested parties.

DDA Baldwin turned to Brenda and said, "You don't have to stay any longer, Chief Johnson."

"Oh, I think I do. I want to sit here throughout Lara's testimony and stare at her – just in case she gets cold feet. Besides, my bein here will give her someone to focus her attention on instead of Jeff Toomey."

"All right. Suit yourself," Claire said clearly unhappy that Brenda was going to stay and observe. When the judge returned and called upon the prosecution to call the next witness, Claire announced, "The State calls Lara Bronstein to the stand."

When she was administered the oath, the stenographer asked her to state and spell her name for the record. Then Lara was asked to describe her relationship with the defendant, Jeff Toomey. She said that they had no relationship and that she'd never had any face-to-face contact with him. In response to DDA Baldwin's questions she described receiving strange letters from him which declared his undying love and quoting twisted scripture verses in order to claim her as his own.

When DDA Baldwin asked her how she felt about Jeff Toomey's devotion she replied, "He totally creeps me out. I'm terrified of him and I don't want anything to do with him." She also testified that she cried when she learned that her security guard had been killed trying to protect her and said, through tears, that both her security guards had been more than employees. They had both been friends and that she considered the man who was murdered almost as a father figure. She had even thrown him a birthday party the year before he died. She concluded by tearfully saying, "I didn't know it would be his last birthday."

During her entire testimony she avoided looking at Jeff Toomey who was muttering to himself and twisting in his chair. Instead she alternated her gaze between DDA Baldwin and Brenda who, at first, looked back at her with a steely look. However, as Lara continued her testimony, Brenda's look softened until she was smiling at her.

Jeff Toomey erupted. He stood up shouting his version of scripture and then began singing love songs to Lara. The judge tried to gavel him to silence but when that failed, ordered him to be removed from the courtroom.

Lara was clearly rattled. Apparently Toomey's attorney didn't want to further damage his client's chances by harshly cross-examining her so the questions they asked were not contentious. Finally she was dismissed. Brenda followed her out of the courtroom and found her in the witness waiting room crumpled in a chair and breathing heavily so she got her a some water and sat beside her.

"You did a wonderful job, Lara. As a result I'm very sure you'll never have to deal with him again. You'll be safe now," Brenda said softly.

"I don't feel safe," Lara said with tears in her eyes.

"But you are. And because of your strength, you'll stay safe."

"Strength?" Lara was obviously surprised.

"Yes. It took a lot of strength to testify in front of him, even though you were afraid of him," Brenda said as she put her hand on Lara's arm.

"I only testified because I was more afraid of you. I didn't want to be arrested," Lara admitted as she sniffled.

Brenda took a tissue from her purse and put it into Lara's hand. "I know. It's my job to use anythin necessary, includin scarin you, to get you to testify. But that doesn't mean that I didn't understand how you were feelin."

Lara wiped her eyes and asked, "How could you possibly know how I was feeling?"

"I know because I've been there. You see before I began workin' for the DA's office, I was in charge of a homicide unit at the LAPD. And I was stalked and attacked in my home by a man who had raped and murdered a lot of girls. Believe me, I know what it feels like to be terrified for your life."

Lara was shocked. "What? You were stalked and attacked by a crazy person too?"

"Well, he was crazy like a fox. But, yes. When he realized I could put him on death row he broke into my home when my husband was out of town. He tried to rape and murder me."

"How did you get away?" Lara was beginning to forget her own fear and was fascinated by Brenda's story.

"He knocked me down onto the kitchen floor and first he tried to get my pants off. But I was fightin so, when that failed, he tried to strangle me. I got my foot up and pushed him away and tried to get to my gun. He came at me with his knife and I had to shoot him."

"Did you kill him?" Lara asked.

"No. He's alive. He was in the hospital for a long time because I put four bullets into him. But now he's in jail awaitin trial."

"Wow. And you'll have to testify against him?" Lara was clearly impressed.

"Yes, I will."

Lara looked at her for a minute, then smiled and said, "If you need any help with testifying against him, you just let me know. I'll be glad to threaten to have you arrested to be sure you don't chicken out."

Brenda laughed and said, "Thanks. I'll remember that." Brenda smiled at Lara and said, "You'll be fine." And she patted Lara's arm before leaving. She walked back to her office smiling the entire way.

The next afternoon, DDA Baldwin knocked on Brenda's open door. "Got a minute?"

Brenda looked up and smiled. "Of course, come on in."

"I thought you'd like to know that we got a guilty verdict. The defense put on no witnesses and the jury debated only two hours. He got life without parole."

"I'm glad to hear that. That man does not belong on the street."

"Lara's testimony did the trick. She was great and her testimony prevented the defense from making the case that Toomey reasonably thought that he had a right to be there," Claire added.

"Yes. She did a great job," Brenda agreed.

"Well, thank you for getting her into court."

"I didn't do anythin, Claire. Just my job," Brenda said.

Claire nodded. "Well, thank you for doing your job, then," and she left Brenda's office.

Before she left for the day Brenda's cell phone rang. It was Wilson Henegar. "Ms. Johnson, the City's check arrived. I will subtract my fee. And then I need to disperse the remainder according to your wishes."

"Well, I only want a check for $25,000. Would you make a check out for the remainder to The Stern and Duran Victims Assistance Fund? I want to donate everythin to provide college assistance to the children of murdered police officers," she explained.

"I'd be happy to, Ms. Johnson, but you need to write two letters. The first is a letter directing me to disperse the funds according to your wishes. And the second is to the charity explaining how you want your donation to be used."

"All right. I'll write them both tonight."

When she hung up the phone, Brenda sat back in her chair reflecting on how far she'd come. From being Daddy's Girl to her college days at Georgetown. From her CIA service to moving to a law enforcement career. From the terrible mistake she'd made in having an affair with a married man to a disastrous marriage conceived on the rebound, to reaching for the brass ring and moving to Los Angeles. From her fear of allowing herself to love Fritz to a strong, happy marriage. She thought about all the good she'd been able to accomplish while at Major Crimes and the friendships she'd made there. And finally her move to the DA's office and the good she was sure she was going to do in the future. She savored it all for a few minutes. Then she grabbed her purse and headed home.

The End

**A/N: Now, please take a minute and complete the box below. Your feedback is incredibly important to me. It provides the motivation I need to keep writing. In the words of Brenda Leigh, "Thank yew".**


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